Yosemite landmark, the Ahwahnee Hotel, to be renamed Majestic Yosemite Hotel

One of the great pleasures of sending clients to Yosemite National Park, mispronouncing and misspelling ‘Ahwahnee’, might be coming to an end.

As a result of a legal tussle between the National Park Service and outgoing concessionaire, Delaware North, it was announced on Thursday that the Ahwahnee Hotel would now be called the Majestic Yosemite Hotel. No joke.

Delaware North, who won the contract to run Yosemite’s facilities in 1993, is demanding $51 million for the trademarks to not just the Ahwahnee Hotel name but several other iconic Yosemite hotels.

Yosemite Lodge at the Falls is to become Yosemite Valley Lodge, Curry Village is now Half Dome Village, and perhaps the blandest of them all is the historic Wawona Hotel, which now faces its future as Big Trees Lodge.

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The new names will go into effect on March 1 but Yosemite National Park spokesman Scott Gediman said that the park service is still fighting for the right to keep the original names.

“We are clearly in disagreement with Delaware North,” he said. “We’re taking this action to ensure the seamless transition.”

Amazingly, the name ‘Yosemite National Park’ is also under dispute but will not be changed at the moment.
Let’s hope we’re not facing a future with America’s most iconic National Park as ‘Wonderful Valley National Park’ and its centerpiece, the Majestic Yosemite Hotel. We for one like misspelling Ahawnee and will continue to use it!

(All Roads North works with the very best guides and has access to a range of accommodation options that allows us to craft a truly unique and tailored national park experience. Get in touch to speak with one of our area specialists or get a little inspiration from our Epic Road Trip to Sequoia and Yosemite)